


Ain't they the sweetest?

by chupiyo



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Before Lucifer's Fall, Gabriel is a good big brother, Gen, Heaven before it went to shit, a REALLY good big brother, and he lets them get away with a LOT, he loves his little siblings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-06
Updated: 2017-01-16
Packaged: 2018-09-15 04:48:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,334
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9219593
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chupiyo/pseuds/chupiyo
Summary: My first work. I know it's probably pretty shitty, because I haven't written anything in a long time, but I did my best! Though I very much enjoy the Supernatural series as a whole, I have to admit I have a rather large soft spot for the angels. And Gabriel? He's my favorite, so expect to see a lot more of him from me in the future! I had fun writing this, as my muse for Gabriel has been flaring lately, and I hope you like reading it as much as I did writing it. Enjoy!





	1. Rachel

**Author's Note:**

> My first work. I know it's probably pretty shitty, because I haven't written anything in a long time, but I did my best! Though I very much enjoy the Supernatural series as a whole, I have to admit I have a rather large soft spot for the angels. And Gabriel? He's my favorite, so expect to see a lot more of him from me in the future! I had fun writing this, as my muse for Gabriel has been flaring lately, and I hope you like reading it as much as I did writing it. Enjoy!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Song: Jack and Jill Katie Herzig

Gabriel’s smile shone triumphantly across his face. At last, he had managed to get more than half of his current class of fledgelings into the air for their first time flying. The swell of pride in his chest was unmistakable- the Archangel had spent many, many moons working loyally with these fledgelings. Unusually slow in their learning, it had taken far more dedication than usual to teach them flight. However, in the end, he had accomplished the task. Upon hearing the sounds of the wind breaking around a figure, he looked up and found his grin to grow ever wider as one of his little group tumbled down in front of him, onto the landing mat he had set up. She was a small thing, with chubby cheeks, long blonde hair, and eyes dusted a forest green. Gabriel found her absolutely _lovely_. If asked, he would deny picking favorites, and claim to love all of the fledgelings equally, all of that bull shit. Forget formalities though, she was _clearly_ a personal favorite of his. And along with being his student, she was a member of his garrison as well. 

“Rachel!! Hey doll face, totally digging the the new style” He then took a moment to laugh at his joke, as the little one first made a face of confusion, then turned to gaze upon her evening blue wings. Upon noticing that they _did indeed_ have remnants of mud, clouds, stardust, and a few other things her instructor couldn’t quite place, she attempted to shake them out. No dice. looking back up at her older brother, her bottom lip stuck out, and she made a show of curling it. Gabriel frowned thoughtfully as he watched this display- all jokes aside, It was unlike this particular fledgeling to be flying into things. Though not quite top of her class, he knew Rachel focused almost solely on using tactics of grace when flying, rather than rushing blindly into speed or agility. “Brother Gabriel, it won’t come off!!” He found himself torn from his thoughts as the child’s young, high voice rang in his ears. With a sound of contemplation, he raised his eyebrows as her wings buzzed with distress.

 

“Okay, okay. come here, let me take a look.” Gabriel then proceeded to slip his hands under the girl’s armpits, lifting her petite frame onto his lap. He was no healer- and made a mental note to bring her straight to Raphael if he did, in fact, find there to be something wrong- but luckily he at least knew the basics of wing workings and anatomy from years of hovering over Raph’s shoulder. Running his fingers along ridges of bone structure and under dark feathers, he checked for fractures or breaks, and displacements or swelling. “Looks okay, kiddo. You might’ve just had a screw up in your flight plan. Y’know I used to fall all the time when I-“ He was cut off. By a wing to the face, and a mouthful of feathers. **Not cool.** Not cool at all. “I _DIDN’T_ MESS UP!!” Great. Here comes the temper tantrum.

 

The messenger knew he spoiled the angels in his garrison, and that went triple for the little girls. Quadruple for his favorites. But he couldn’t help that! After all, females were few in his numbers compared to their male counterparts, and if he were to be honest? They were a _helluva_ lot quicker to learn and easier to work with. However, Rachel in particular was another story. As a result of his spoiling, she was often rather whiny, and very dramatic- and those things were coming to light right about now.

 

Besides, even if it _was_ his fault that his fledgelings had become so deeply indulged, and even if he  _was_ to blame for their acting out because of it- his patience had its limits. And she was approaching said limits  _very_ fast as she continued to smack him with her wings. “ _OKAY_ ,” he finally exclaimed, and rather sharply if I may add, grabbing her left wing with expert practice before it could make contact with his face again. He opened his mouth to scold, steeling himself in preparation to punish, but was stopped in his tracks when he saw the expression of frustration take her small face, and the tears pooling in her eyes. When it came to his siblings, he could be called a pushover with ease. And he wouldn’t exactly be able to refute that either, Because if there was one thing he hated, it was having to punish them. 

 

In fact, he avoided it whenever he could, passing the duty off on one of his elder brothers. He was a lover, not a fighter. But even so, when the time came that need arose, he would force himself to deliver. However, now wasn’t one of those times. It was rare for Rachel to shed her tears in the presence of others, if at all. Not unheard of, but again, rare. His anger and irritation melted away at once as he was present to a bitten off sob, and his arms flew around her almost as a reflex, bringing her in close to his chest. Silence took them both, for a period, as he discreetly snapped his fingers, sending them to one of heaven’s lakes- pure and shining with the reflection of the sun’s rays. This particular place was an unspoken favorite of hers, he knew. He kept quiet, as he watched her- and they both knew he would until she spoke up first. She supposed she was the most grateful for that, if anything. “…I didn’t mess up.” Finally, finally the fledgeling’s quiet voice pierced the silence. Gabriel’s response was short and to the point. “I know.”

 

Another period of silence. He would take the blame for this one. He knew how important perfection was to her. He shouldn’t have used his words so lightly. Even though he knew that father was incapable of making perfect creatures (either that or he chose not to) and that not even the archangels themselves came anywhere close to perfect, she looked up to the beauty that was her older siblings. And even Gabriel could admit that his older brothers (and _especially_ Lucifer) would almost always give off an aura of inaccurate perfection. 

 

Rachel was young. She was impressionable. And she was just entering those first few awkward years between being a fledgeling and a youngling. She sought out any praise she could get her hands on and soaked it up like a sponge. She strived to be one her younger siblings could look up to, and one her older siblings could depend on. She _hated_ making mistakes. Her grace bled disappointment in herself, and that was something Gabriel just wouldn’t stand for.

 

“Rachel?” Nothing. “Rechell.” He tried again- her true name, this time. For this, he got a response. The young one looked up, and he stole the opportunity to swipe his thumbs under her reddened eyes, removing the traces of tears. “There might have been a mistake in your flight plan.” He spoke quickly as she opened her mouth to interrupt again, effectively silencing her. “ _But_ the mistake was not yours.” He ran soothing fingers through her sand colored locks whilst he continued. “We will clean your wings. but first, take flight. stay close to the ground. let me examine your wings in action.” Waiting patiently, only when he received a nod would Gabriel return it. He kept a watchful eye as the child took to the skies once more, doing as instructed. And when he came to studying her movements against the wind, he discovered the issue at hand. 

 

Cupping a hand around his mouth, he shouted a quick “alright, c’mere!” before grabbing her in his arms as she toppled down. “I think I found our problem, baby sis."

 

* * *

 

After leaving the other fledgelings in the hands of a few of the caretaker angels, sundown found Gabriel drying post-bath time wet blonde hair and soaked through blue wings with a fluffy towel. He whistled a disharmonious melody as he worked- from one of the countless times he messed with lucifer’s choirs, no doubt- helping his little sister into her small sleeping robes, and then bringing her onto his lap once more to brush out her long hair, pulling a few other items from a nearby drawer. His project took awhile, and the snipping of scissors had Rachel flinching more than once, but when finished, he seemed very pleased with his work. “There, no more flight problems, no more falling, and no more being hit in the face by the wings of a _very_ grumpy little sister.” Upon gaining a pout from her for his little joke, Gabriel gave a tongue in cheek grin, before spinning her to gaze at her reflection in the bathwater. 

 

Rachel looked simply tickled pink at what she saw. Her hair had been cut, yes, but neatly. And strands of it had been pulled back into a half updo. On top of seeing that she looked absolutely _beautiful_ (or ‘bootiful’ as Gabriel would later claim to be the way she said it), she found that her hair no longer fell in her face. “With your hair tied back, the wind won’t work against you. You’ll be able to see your surroundings again, and you won’t be falling anytime soon.” He paused to snicker. “We good, princess?” The archangel then proceeded to hold out his hand for her to fist bump, a grin spreading across his face. His hand was ignored, however, and with a thrilled shriek from the little girl, he was tackled to the ground in a hug instead. “YES!!!"


	2. Balthazar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Song: How Long Will I Love You Ellie Goulding

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, chapter two! Balthazar is a personal favorite of mine-- how could he not be? Aside from the fact that you can tell I have a type what with how similar he is to Gabe- I love everything about him! The British accent, the witty humor to hide uncertainness and/or insecurity, even the damn v-neck! I loved how open he was with his love and dedication to his friendship with Cas too. I guess I fell in love with him completely the second I heard the I.P Freely joke- it was one of my dad's favorites when I was a kid. 
> 
> Anyway, I can't imagine Gabe and Balthy NOT being close, because again- similarities!! All of the similarities. I thought Gabe probably taught him a lot of what he knows, just like Lucifer taught Gabe. Because I already had this bond pictured, and the knowledge of Balthazar's little thievery problem, this was a pretty easy one to write. Well, I hope you guys like it!

He leaned against one of the weaponry hall’s pillars. The marble and limestone held steady under Gabriel’s weight- he knew it would. Everything in heaven was made just so- and originally, it had all been formed to suit the four archangels. Silently, the young man drummed his vessel’s fingers on his arms, which he had kept crossed as he watched the scene play out in front of him a moment, before giving a whistle. “Yoo-hoo. Hate to interrupt your party, James Bond. But that?” He paused, only to make a twirling motion with his index finger, before wrapping up his little spiel with a: “That’s **mine**.”

 

 

The culprit turned then, a deer frozen in the headlights. Balthazar’s expression showed utter horror at being caught- and in the midst of stealing _St. Gabriel’s horn_ , by the archangel himself! Said Archangel looked rather unimpressed at the moment, eyes landing on the bag at the boy’s feet, no doubt containing countless other stolen objects. He watched as the child's ice colored eyes flitted quickly around the around the room- the fledgeling was obviously searching for an escape route- any escape route, but his shoulders soon slumped in defeat. He knew just as well as Gabriel did that if he made a move to run- or, rather, fly- the older male could, and _would_ , catch him without even breaking a sweat. “Brother Gabriel.” A pause. “Whats up?” Wow. Now _that_ was lame. He felt a twisting in his gut, writhing like a worm, his face paling. A spanking was the least of his worries at the moment. Gabriel would hate him. He would tell Lucifer. Lucifer wouldn’t want him in his garrison anymore. Then where would he be? 

 

From across the room, Gabriel raised an eyebrow, as though he could tell what the little one was thinking. Irrational thoughts, completely ridiculous. Lucifer, as hard headed and unapproachable as he seemed sometimes, what with his sharp personality, his incomparable beauty, and his entire ‘holier than thou’ thing going on, loved his little siblings. And in the case of Balthazar, he had continuously made his surprising patience and unconditional love very, very clear. They all had. Balthazar got into trouble. They all knew that. He got into it almost as much as Gabriel himself did. He tested boundaries, tried patience, and _dear dad_ , the _stealing_. 

 

It was endless- a constant in heaven- and no matter how many scoldings were given, how many spankings handed out and time outs provided, it never stopped. But just because he made their blood boil, and their patience crack, didn’t mean they didn’t love him. And that went especially for Gabriel. Along with being one of his own personal handful of favorite fledgelings, the kid was his protege! Lucifer was his section leader, sure, but Gabe was his mentor. Taught him his smart tongue, and his sense of humor, and even how to steal. (Nice going, Gabriel.)

 

“You were stealing again?” The kid gave a jump, and the messenger a snort. Teleportation was something every angel could do, but it never failed to scare the shit out of the fledgelings every time an archangel moved across the room whilst they were taking a moment to blink. Turning to look over his shoulder, Balthazar released a held in breath as he saw the form of his older brother behind him, crouched to be at his level. “…I’m sorry…Uriel bet me I wouldn’t do it, and I just-“ He threw up his arms in nervous exasperation. “I couldn’t _not_ do it, that’d be so lame!” Gabriel sighed in response, and Balthazar felt like he was going to throw up. There were many an angel who’s opinions didn’t matter to him. But when his oldest brothers were disappointed- not angry, that wouldn’t matter so much- but _disappointed_ , he had to wonder what was wrong with himself.

 

“….I really _am_ sorry.” The crouching archangel took a moment as the fledgeling concluded, studying his face. Searching for the authenticity of the apology, perhaps, and as Balthazar made to hug himself and gaze down at the floor, he seemed to find what he was looking for. “Okay, look. here’s the deal.” Gabriel spoke out finally, slipping a few fingers under the little one’s chin to lift it so that he could gaze into those bright eyes. “I won’t tell Luci what you did, slick. **_But_** \- and I repeat,” a finger was help to accentuate his point. “But, You’re banned from weaponry for the rest of the decade, unless accompanied by a caretaker or any other older angel. No dessert for awhile either- i’ll decide when that’s over. You’ll return whatever the shit you stole, you’re grounded for the rest of the century too, and I’m handing over spanking duty to Raphael.” 

 

At the mention of the second youngest archangel, the kid visibly flinched, and Gabe had to contain his own. Raph was a healer, yes, but when it came to punishment, he was harsh. Almost as much as Michael. Balthazar wouldn’t be sitting right for a week. However, he didn’t protest- he knew this was light punishment, that he was getting off easy. Far easier than if it were anyone else. So he swallowed his objections, bit his tongue, and nodded, averting his gaze once more. This prompted a roll of the eyes from the messenger in front of him. “And since you can’t go to weaponry, you can’t do blade training, or field trips, or any of that crap, that means you’ll have an awful lot of free time. you can accompany me on my messenger duties, ‘kay?” 

 

A puzzled look crossed his face then, as his little brother’s shoulders slumped in what seemed to be relief. “So…you don’t hate me then?” a moment of silence. one. two. and Gabriel was laughing, wiping at his eyes from the intensity of it. “ _Hate you?_ **Balthy**!” he stood then, slipping fingers under the blonde’s armpits and lifting him into his own arms. “Balthy, Balthy, Balthy- you’re my protege! I don’t hate you, I could never hate you! You make my hair turn gray, you’re a pain in my ass, but you’re my baby brother. And I _love you_ , for all that you are. So shut up and let me hug you for awhile.”

 

Balthazar wrapped his arms around his big brother’s neck, set his chin on his shoulder, and smiled.


	3. Hael

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Song: Love By Lennon and Maisy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter three! Hael's another one of my own personal favorites- she's literally soooo pretty it's insane. I want to /be/ Grace Phipps!! Anyway, yeah. This socially awkward, ironically friendless angel of kindness with violent tendencies is pretty great. SOOOOO she's chapter three. I'm not sure who i'll do next- guess we'll see!

Whilst heaven didn’t change very much throughout the seasons- most always immaculately the same- Gabriel came to note that during the summer, the sun’s rays seemed just that small bit brighter. Everyone seemed in better spirits, even Michael _himself_ seemed happier, more tolerant of his baby brother’s constant game-playing and lack of a serious bone in his body. The messenger simply scoffed. Lack of seriousness? That’s what they think. He could be serious, off course he could. He just didn’t want to. 

 

Why bring things down when you can bring them up instead? Laughter made people _happy_. And it made him happy to make others that way! How could it not? His father had created him as the bright, exploding being of laughter and light to balance out the seriousness of his older brothers. ‘ _There always has to be a balance, Gabriel_ -‘ He would say, ‘ _I set the scale in it’s place for you. You guys are the ones who choose where the tipping point is_.’

 

He had a tipping point, they all did. But it was hard to get Gabe to his- he was still a kid himself. His older brothers would **never** let him forget that, ohhh no. He might be a big brother himself now, and it might not be just the four of them and their father anymore, but he was still their baby. He heard it everyday, Michael would chide and chide and tell him that he’s ‘ _Just a youngling, Gabriel. And no matter how you may attempt to fight that fact, it still holds true. I won’t allow you to take on tasks I disapprove of. Let big brother do it for you_.’ Let big brother?? Let big brother?? How embarrassing did Michael have to be before he was satisfied, _honestly_. 

 

Anyway, tipping points. His was very hard to get to. Never serious, remember? So off course it’d make sense he didn’t get angry often either. Disappointed, sure. Penalizing towards younger siblings? Certainly. But not angry. Or serious. Just light hearted. Just fun.

 

Currently, the youngest archangel was tipping into being **way too bored to function**. Because, again, he needed to ‘ _let big brother do it for him_.’ Yes, his ‘helper’ for today was Raphael. _Raphael_  who, in agreement with Michael, pushed him to ‘ _take a break, Gabriel. Between fulfilling your messenger duties, spending time with us, and teaching and looking after the little ones, you’re running yourself ragged. Go and play for the rest of the noon._ ’ Play? Oh, **_come on_**. 

 

So Raph took over his afternoon fledgeling classes. Awesome. He had already managed to visit- or bother, depending on how one viewed such things- nearly every angel in heaven. Which, off course, left him with nothing to do. He could go down to earth course, sure. But that was way more fun when you did it with someone else. It was about the time he became at his wit’s end- readying himself to go and bug his brothers into either allowing him to take his classes over again, or ditch their own work to hang out with him- when he caught sight of long, dark hair sticking out from behind a rock. Shaking his head fondly, he feigned ignorance to give his target a false sense of security…until he was suddenly behind it, poking it’s tiny shoulder. ‘It’ being a young, small female fledgeling, who jumped a bit, yelping in surprise. “Nice hiding spot. A little tip though, next time make sure I can’t see you.” A smirk spread across his features as the small thing shifted away from him slightly, disallowing him to gaze upon her face. Naturally, he assumed such an action was done out of shyness.

 

He saw just how wrong he was when the little one gazed up at him, a mix of confusion and sorrow flickering across her expression. He allowed himself a moment to take in her features- tender blue eyes, long dark brown hair, a pale face, and the light dotting of freckles scattered under her eyes. _What a sweet looking kid!_ She was one of Luci’s, he could recall- _Luci,_ who would **not** like seeing such a small baby sister skipping her classes and wallowing in depression all on her own behind a rock. And, _oh_ \- if _Raph_ saw the shape Gabriel now knew her to be in, he would throw a fit. Her tights ripped at the knee to show a bad cut soaked with blood and gravel, a bruise covering her cheek, and her eyes red from traces of tears gotten rid of as Gabe had come into her view.

 

Promptly, the older bent down, bringing himself to her height- which was luckily not much, for he was rather short himself- and fastened a much softer smile to his features. “Hey, Starshine.” He gazed upon her fondly as her eyes met his, her confusion growing. “Starshine..? Why would you call me that..? It isn’t my name…not the one father gave to me.” Gabriel laughed. He couldn’t help it! It was such an innocent response, and **wow** \- classic Gabe, a kid opens their mouth a single time and he’s wrapped around their little finger. “It’s a nickname, Hael. I give one to everyone. It’s kinda my thing. I find something I like about you. Your appearance, your traits, your personality. Then, _boom._ Nicknamed.” He stopped, seemingly thinking something over. “Say, do you know who my big brother is?” A moment of stillness, and then she gave a nod. “Lucifer.” “ _Right!_ and do you know what he tells me?” “…No, what..?” “He tells me that he’s got a _very_ talented fledgeling in his garrison. He says dad’s given her _insane_ creative abilities. He says she helps some of Michael’s field worker factions, his galaxy garrisons. He says she has a _very_ special job to help paint the stars.” Gabriel regarded her with the tender smile still, but cocked his head quizzically as the little one averted her gaze once more, shrugging her tiny shoulders. “Oh…” She muttered this with disregard, and Gabe frowned. 

 

Usually flattery worked quite well with the little ones, _especially_ upon their first meeting. Though he supposed this wasn’t the normal way they would’ve met either. And it made sense too, that she would be reluctant to open up to him at first- after all, they hadn’t formed a bond yet. But though the kid was being quiet currently, he could see it in her eyes- she was _clever._ Clever, creative, and tough. Off course she would be- Lucifer _loved_ helping his fledgelings to become that way. But _her_ toughness, and cleverness- it seemed natural. All too natural, and Gabe found himself wondering _why_ he had never put forth an effort to get to know this particular fledgeling until now. There was a joke about her name somewhere in the back of his mind- _hey Hael, so where’s Rain and Shine?_ \- but he’d bite his tongue for now. Even he could tell it wasn’t the right time. Instead, he figured he’d try his hand at persuading her to get some help with those injuries of hers. 

 

“Hey, tell me something, ‘kay? Why haven’t you gone to see Raphael for those injuries?” After waiting almost a full three minutes, he realized she probably wasn’t going to give him an answer. So he provided one for himself. “Are you scared of him? _Hoooooh boy._ All of you fledgelings are- you’ll hurt the poor guy’s oh-so-delicate feelings! Ol’ Laughy Raphy ain’t that bad, pinkie promise.” He took a moment to snicker at his own joke- the affectionate nickname he knew Raph _hated_ \- at least it was better than Giggles. He had tried that one too. Raph had tickled him so much in retaliation that he was having random twitching spasms for the entire rest of the week. He was surprised, however, when his baby sister looked him right in the eyes and said: “No. I’m not scared of Brother Raphael. I’m not scared of _anyone_. Brother Lucifer says it makes sense that i’m not. He says i’m a tough chick.” Amusement and pride in the little girl danced across Gabe’s gaze as his grin returned. “ _Well!_ Not bad for Luci-Bear! Not bad at all. He’s right though. Sitting all by yourself out here?” He paused, only to plop down next to her. “You’ve _gotta be_ tough.” 

 

Hael watched her brother as he sat- she was admittedly surprised. She had seen him, after all, with countless of their other brothers and sisters. They all _adored_ him- **everybody** loved Gabriel. He was quirky, fun, and socializing came more naturally to him than breathing did to earth dwellers. She had heard, from how the others gushed over him, about how friendly and openly affectionate he was. But for some reason, she had never expected it would be like this. Especially with an angel like her. _She wasn’t even in his garrison, for heaven’s sake!_ He had no obligation to reach out to her like this, especially when he was so busy having fun with so many of the others. The angel grew silent awhile longer as she examined his relaxed position, the way he was even willing to let his eyes close as he sat with her. She was the most surprised, however, by herself. By the way the corners of her lips twitched upwards as he complimented her.

 

“Brother Gabriel?” “Yeah, kiddo?” “How _do_ you do that?” The archangel opened one eyelid as he was questioned, and then the other, raising both eyebrows. “Do _what?_ ” Hael played absentmindedly with a few strands of her dark hair, twisting them between her fingers. “Get everyone to like you so _easily._ Make so many friends.” Now this caught his attention. He made sure to ready his memory- he’d store this conversation for later, and if he didn’t find that it was something she dearly wanted to keep confidential with him, he’d make sure to bring it to his older brother’s attention. That was the thing about Gabe and Lucifer, after all. They had an understanding- if the fledgelings they talk to really want confidentiality, they wouldn’t deny them. They’d keep it to themselves unless they deemed it important enough to tell. Michael and Raphael didn’t agree with their system, so Gabriel and lucifer simply didn’t include them in the conversation about it in the first place. It was _their_ little system, shared between the two of them. They'd just keep it that way. But back to the present- every fledgeling had to have friends. And if for some reason she didn’t, whether it be her doings or that of the other fledgelings, they’d need to get Lucifer on that _right away._  


 

“Why would you ask that, Hael..?” He chose his words carefully- off course he didn’t want to trigger her into retreating into her shell again. He waited patiently, giving her time to decide how- or even _if_ she wanted to answer him. The messenger had a lot of experience with these sorts of situations, so waiting came pretty naturally. It had to, when you had thousands of younger siblings- _and counting!_ Reaching up, he ran a hand through his caramel locks- Gabriel was worried, undeniably. He almost didn’t even want to hear her answer. Almost. “…I don’t understand why. But i’m not very well liked in my classes. I’m intelligent, creative, beautiful, I share my toys- I’m _the angel of kindness._ I’m doing everything correctly, aren’t I? So why doesn’t anyone like me..?” **Wow.** Okay, there goes his heart. Shattered into a million pieces _for the misguided little thing sitting next to him._ He wanted to take her into his arms and hold her tight- _all in good time Gabriel, don’t scare her off_ \- but he forced himself to wait. 

 

Suddenly he had a sinking feeling. Suddenly he thought that he knew _exactly_ how she had gotten those injuries. He’d ask anyway though, if only to make certain of the things he thought he knew. “Before I answer you, sweet stuff, I need to ask you a question.” This time though, he didn’t wait for her response before he continued. “Where did your injuries come from? And- and, you don’t need to worry. I won’t get mad at you.” Hael blinked then, and slowly, ever so slowly, held out her pinky finger. “Promise?” Gabe was done for. How cute could this kid be? He was completely at her disposal. “Yeah, kiddo. I **promise.** ” He curled his own pinky gently around hers, giving it a little shake before standing- well, sitting- at attention. “It was during morning playtime. Teacher let us outside. Nobody asked _me_ to play with them, so I followed Ion and Esper into one of the tree houses on the playground. Ion yelled at me.” She stopped, as if debating whether to continue to confide in him or not, but the words just _wouldn’t stop_ \- she couldn’t stop herself even if she had wanted to. “He told me I was _annoying._ And _strange_ \- that I _say strange things_ and nobody would _ever_ want to play with someone like me. He hit me and pushed me down and _laughed._ ” A tear rolled down her cheek. “So I pushed him back. _Right over the railing._ I was just so… _I don’t know what I was_ , but the feeling was strong! I didn’t want to do it…it all happened _so_ fast. The teachers came running, Ion’s arm was all _bent up_ and Esper said I was a _freak_ …he said they were gonna tell Brother Michael what i’d done, and he’d _cast me down!_ I ran away, _i’m sorry_ -“

 

She was cut off as her older brother brought her firmly into his arms, unable to stop himself anymore. At this point, Gabe didn’t really _care_ if he scared her away, this was him being **selfish**. He _wanted_ to hold her. How could fledgelings- _his own little brothers_ \- be so cruel to one of their own? He didn’t even want to ponder it too much- he knew if he _did_ then he’d probably end up going crying to his older brothers himself. Instead he held her close as she stiffened, and then cupped the back of her little head as she full on burst into tears. He grimaced at her grief, tucking her small face into the warmth of his neck, and began to rock her slowly. Gabriel was silent, blocking out all other thoughts- everything other than that twisting in his stomach, the instinct that came naturally with being an older sibling. Dote. Comfort. **Fix.**  

 

It was nearly an hour before the young one calmed down enough to look up at him slowly, fearfully- _it broke his heart, his baby siblings never needed to be scared of him, of all angels_ \- and speak in a tired voice. “I’m _sorry,_ Brother Gabriel…I just wanted to play.” Gabe peered down at her. He tucked strands of her hair tenderly behind her tiny ears, swiped his thumbs softly under her red, puffy eyes. Kissed her bumped little forehead. _Held her closer._ “You’re forgiven, Hael. You’re so, _so_ forgiven. We can save the talk about responding without violence for another time. For now though, if anyone challenges my decision to pardon you for this, then they’ll have a problem with **me**. We’ll be spending a lot of time together from now on, too. Because **I** like you. So now you have at least one friend, and let me tell you- you’ll have _a lot_ more soon enough.” He stood up. “Let’s go get you patched up with brother Raph. Then i’m gonna introduce you to some of the fledgelings in my garrison- i’ll take you over to their classes for the day.”

 

A grin spread across his features as his Sister gave the smallest of smiles, slipping her little hand in his and allowing him to hold it. “I think you’re gonna like it there."


End file.
